29 Illegal Gas Plants Shutdown by DPR In Osun State

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), has nabbed suspects and closedup some filling stations in Osun State for operating illegally.

In an interview with news correspondents on Sunday, Mr Olusegun Daboh, DPR’s Head of Operations, revealed that its operatives caught and locked no less than twenty-nine Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) facilities in Osogbo for operating without valid permits.

Daboh reveals further that the department had succeeded in doing so while carrying out its routine surveillance, where it met many gas stations operating without genuine permits, and also for carrying out the operations within residential areas.

Naija News learned that the illegal gas stations were sealed at Ile-Ife, Ikire, Ejigbo, Iwo, Ila-Orangun, Ede, Gbongan and Ode-Omu towns respectively, as revealed by Daboh.

He stated that illegal gas station operations in the state had reached a worrisome level and that the agency would continue to clamp down on all the illegal gas plants in the state.

“Most of this gas plants were not only illegal but did not meet safety guidelines on the establishment of gas plants. And as an agency mandated with the responsibility of ensuring safety in the oil and gas industry, we cannot fold our arms and watch people operates illegally,” He said.

“As matter of fact, we are giving all the illegal gas skid operators in the state till the end of February to close shop, while those with expired licences should come for renewal. We are not saying they should not do their businesses, but they must be ready to follow the required safety.

“This attitude of operating illegally cannot be tolerated and that is why our surveillance team will not leave any stone unturned in its bid to ensure that safety standards were maintained in the gas business across the state.”

In another news, Naija News reported that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, has ordered the arrest of Dan Etete, a former Minister of Petroleum.

Naija News reports that Justice Idris Kutigi of the High Court ordered Etete’s arrest on Thursday, January 30 over his alleged involvement in the Malabu oil scam.